Guest blogger: Tim Mosehauer, Career Counselor

A: Start with the people you know.  With any contact, whether it be your old high school teachers, or neighbors down the street, be intentional about your search.  Now I wouldn’t suggest just going up to any of these people and saying “I’m looking for an internship close to home, can you help me?”.  Instead, I recommend you first research different industries and target the type of work you are interested in, then approach some of these people and say something like, “I’m interested in the arts, and want to be near home this summer.  Can you help me identify organizations that I can approach where I can use my skills and learn a few things too.”

Make sure to check out all the CSO resources too, in addition to starting with the people you know first.  You can do geographic searches on MOJO, and similarly in MiddNet you can target alums who live in the area you want to be.  And make sure to come by CSO during Drop In hours, we’d be glad to talk with you more about all your options.

A: A great to find out what Middlebury students were doing last year to is to search the Winter Term Student Reports and  Summer Internships Survey at the CSO. These resources allow you to search by the location, industry, and employer for many of the students who had either a Winter Term or Summer internship. Once you make the Midd-connection don’t hesitate to contact the student for more information about their experiences and begin applying for the position.

For more information you can always stop by the CSO everyday from 2:00-5:00 for a Drop-In appointment with a Career Counselor.

A: There are several ways in which a student may be eligible to receive academic credit linked to an internship experience. Some sponsoring organizations will require interns to receive credit from their home institution. If this is the case with your proposed internship and your internship does not fit into the categories listed immediately below, you may want to request a transcript notation .

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A: Although it may seem like the obvious question, finding the right internship involves several steps: self evaluation, preparing an effective resume and corresponding with organizations that interest you, taking action and follow up.

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A: It’s never too early to begin looking! Here are a few suggestions:

1)  Network, network, network.  Start with people you know, like parents, parents’ friends, aunts, uncles etc. who can provide advice and recommendations on leads of people and places to approach.  Who knows, they could even introduce you to something out of town to explore.

2)  Expect not to get paid.  Think about what you want out of the summer.  Do you need money for school but also want some career experience?  One approach is to try out the next tip.

3)  Think part-time. Intern for 2 days a week or even 2 weeks total instead of all-summer long.  This way you could have a paying job most of the time, but also learn something new.

4)   Start your search close to home.  Your chances of landing a gig near your hometown are better than if you go to a completely new place. Use your familiarity with the area to your advantage by going to organizations and companies you know first, then branching out.

5)  Be active not passive.  Expand your search beyond the places with ‘help wanted’ postings.  Research organizations that interest you.  Rather than contacting them and saying “do you have any internship openings?”, say something like “I have x, y, z skills and can help you by ______.  Can I talk with you about internship possibilities?”

6)  Stay organized and be persistent.  Keep track of what places you apply to and which people you talk with by using a log or journal.  Follow up is important; don’t be annoying, but stay on top of the process.

7)  It will be hard work.  Not to burst your bubble, but being completely realistic, you need to be flexible and adaptable and put a lot of hard work into landing and getting the right opportunity.

CSO is here to help.  Stop by anytime during Drop-Ins and we’ll get you started.  Good luck.